Key ejecting vehicle ignition switch

ABSTRACT

An ignition starter switch assembly including a housing and a concentric cylinder which is rotatable within the housing in response to rotary forces imposed by a key operated tumbler lock. The cylinder terminates inwardly in an eccentric drive lug which seats within an eccentric socket provided in a cooperating switch cap to transmit rotary forces from the key to the switch cap for ignition contact purposes. The cylinder is provided with an eccentric bore which rotates into alignment with the key slot when the switch contact is opened. A spring biased plunger is seated within the eccentric bore and serves to automatically eject the key when the eccentric bore aligns with the key slot.

United States Patent 1191 Di Gaetano 14 1 Feb. 19, 1974 KEY EJECTINGVEHICLE IGNITION SWITCH Inventor: Dante Di Gaetano, 1021 Old Lane St.,Drexel Hill, Pa. 19026 Filed: Nov. 8, 1972 Appl. No.: 304,795

US. (:1. 200/44, 307/10 AT, ZOO/61.93, 70/239 1m. 01. 110111 9/28, HOlh27/6 Field of Search 307/10 AT; 200 44, 61.93; 70/239 References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1967 Grocott 200/44 12/1969 Euston 200/44l/l971 Kleebauer 200/44 Primary ExaminerR0bert K. Schaefer AssistantExaminer-Gerald P. Tolin Attorney, Agent, or Firml(arl L. Spivak [5 7ABSTRACT An ignition starter switch assembly including a housing and aconcentric cylinder which is rotatable within the housing in response torotary forces imposed by a key operated tumbler lock. The cylinderterminates inwardly in an eccentric drive lug which seats within' 1Claim, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED FEB 19 1914 KEY EJECTING VEHICLEIGNITION SWITCH BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relatesgenerally to automotive vehicles and, more particularly, is directed toan ignition starter switch assembly therefor.

Quite often, ignition keys are inadvertently left in the ignition switchlock upon leaving the vehicle, thus resulting in the possibility ofautomobile theft or possibly enabling the occupant of the vehicle toaccidentally lock the doors of the vehicle with no other means of entryfor regaining access to the interior of the vehicle. Prior workers inthe field have developed locks with automatic key ejectors asexemplified in US. Pat. Nos. 1,712,640 and 1,738,105, but these deviceshave proved unsatisfactory when it was attempted to adapt theconstructions to additionally operate a switch, such as an automobileignition switch. Additionally, prior art constructions have tended tobecome unduly cumbersome and expensive in manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field ofautomotive, locking devices, and more particularly, is directed to anautomobile ignition starter switch assembly incorporating automatic keyejection means.

The present device incorporates a rotatable cylinder which terminatesinwardly in an eccentric drive lug. An inwardly positioned switch capcarries an eccentric socket within which the drive lug seats to therebyrotate the switch cap when the cylinder is rotated for ignition switchoperating purposes. The cylinder is further provided with a forwardlyopening, eccentric bore within which is positioned a spring biasedplunger. When the ignition switch is turned off by means of a keyoperated tumbler lock, the eccentric bore rotates into alignment withthe key slot in the tumbler lock to thereby automatically eject the keyby means of the plunger spring.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide animproved ignition starter switch of the type set forth.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novelignition starter switch assembly which will automatically eject theignition key from the tumbler lock portion thereof upon turning theignition switch to a normally locked position, thus preventing theignition key from being left in the ignition switch.

It is further object of the present invention to provide an ignitionstarter switch assembly that includes a switch for controllingenergization of the starter motor, a tumbler lock for controlling theopening and closing of the switch, and a rotation transmitting memberinterposed between the tumbler lock and the ignition switch foroperating the switch in response to the insertion and rotation of theignition key, which switch assembly further includes an ejectormechanism for automatically ejecting the key from the switch assemblyafter the tumber lock has been returned to a normally locked positionand the key is free to be withdrawn from the tumbler lock slot.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ignitionstarter switch assembly of the type described in which the key ejectoris prevented from ejecting the key from the tumbler lock in allpositions of the starter switch unit except the normally locked positionthereof, thus enabling such tumber lock to control the energization ofthe starter motor directly through the switch assembly, and enablingsuch switch assembly to retain the key in an operative positionthroughout the continued use of the vehicle and until the tumbler lockhas been returned to a normally locked position.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novelignition starter switch construction that is rugged in construction,inexpensive in manufacture and trouble free when in use.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention will be had byreferring to the followingdescription and claims of a preferredembodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingswherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views and in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of anignition starter switch assembly made in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic wiring diagram of an ignition starter switchassembly controlling an automobile starter motor;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal cross sectional view taken along Line33 of FIG. 1, with the key inserted in the tumbler lock thereof and withthe switch portion thereof in a closed position;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross sectional view similar to FIG. 3, showing themanner in which the key is ejected upon return of the parts to anormally locked position; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged transverse cross sectional view taken along Line5-5 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Althoughspecific terms are used in the following description for the sake ofclarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particularstructure of my invention selected for illustration in the drawings, andare not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, I show in FIG. 1 an ignition starterswitch assembly 10 which includes a main housing 12 having a tumblerlock 14 operatively connected at one end thereof. The tumbler lock 14has a key receiving slot 16 and is conventionally operated by means of akey 15. A switch unit 18 operatively positions at the inward end of themain housing 12 and is wired to control energization of a starter motor20. As shown in FIG. 2, the starter motor 20 is connected in seriescircuit relationship with the vehicle battery 22 and the switch unit 18.

As is more clearly shown in FIG. 3 of the drawing, the switch unit 18includes a spring biased contact 24 which is rotatable into circuitclosing engagement with a fixed contact 28 mounted within the mainhousing 12. The fixed contact 28 is conventionally connected to theground side of the battery 22 through the dashboard and vehicle parts(not shown) upon which the housing 12 is mounted. The interior of thehousing 12 is provided with a longitudinal bore 19 within which a motiontransmitting cylinder 30 is rotatably received. The innermost end 21 ofthe cylinder 30 is provided with an eccentric drive lug 32 which isreceived within an eccentric socket 34 of the rotatable switch cap 26upon which the spring biased contact 24 is supported. The

opposite end 23 of the cylinder 30 is provided with a recess 36 withinwhich an extension 38 of the tumbler lock 14 is received. This extension38 is provided with an eccentric drive pin 40 that is receivable withinan aligned eccentric opening 31 which is provided in the end 23 of thecylinder 30. Thus, in response to the insertion of the key 15 within theslot 16 of the tumbler lock 14, rotation forces of the tumbler lock aretransmitted to the rotatable switch cap 26 of the control switchassembly 18 through the connecting cylinder 30.

The extension 38 of the tumbler cylinder is also provided with aneccentric opening 42 within which one end of a push bar 44 is slidablyreceived for reciprocating longitudinal movement relative to the tumblerkey receiving slot 16. The opposite end of the push bar 44 is providedwith a cap 46 against which one end of a compression spring 48 acts. Thecompression spring 48 is mounted within an eccentric longitudinal bore49 of the cylinder 30, and biases longitudinally therein. The other endof the spring 48 acts against the inner end 47 of the bore 49 to providea constant outward pressure upon the push bar 44 in the direction of theslot 16.

As is more clearly shown in FIG. of the drawing, the push bar 44 isprovided with a longitudinal groove 52 which slidably receives a guideelement 50 in much the same manner as the guide groove 17 in the keyconventionally receives its tumbler guide element (not shown). Thus, inresponse to insertion of the key 15, the push bar 44 is moved to theretracted position shown in FIG. 3 and retained in such position by thepressure of the key 15 as the tumbler lock 14 is rotated to close thecircuit through the switch 18 and the starter motor 20.

The tumbler lock 14 has the usual parts (not shown) which cooperate withthe key 15, in a conventional manner, to retain the key 15 in theinserted position in all rotated positions of the key. In the initialnormally locked position thereof, the key 15 is free to be'withdrawnmanually and under the action of the compression coil spring 48 actingthrough the push bar 44, as shown in FIG. 4.

It will now be recognized that an ignition starter switch assembly hasbeen provided which provides for the closing of a contained switchassembly 18 in response to rotation of a key 15 received within atumbler operated lock 14. The key 15 is automatically ejected by thepush bar 44 when the parts have been returned to the initially lockedposition, in which initial position, the switch 18 opens the circuitthrough the starter motor and the ignition system of the vehicle. Thus,with the present ignition switch assembly, it is impossible to removethe key 15 except when the lock has been returned to the initiallylocked position. The ignition starter switch assembly'automaticallyassures the deenergization of the vehicle ignition system and thepositive spring biased removal of the key from the ignition switchassembly when the key is turned to its initial position.

Although I have described the present invention with reference to theparticular embodiments therein set forth, it is understood that thepresent disclosure has been made only by way of example and thatnumerous changes in the details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, thescope of the invention should not be limited by the foregoingspecification, but rather only by the scope of the claims appendedhereto.

1 claim:

1. In an ignition starter switch assembly, for use in an automotiveignition system of the type employing an electrical energy source, thecombination of A. a main housing having a forward end and a rearwardend,

I. said main housing being provided with a longitudinal bore,

2. a fixed electrical contact carried in the said rearward end, saidfixed electrical contact connecting to the electrical energy sourcewhich is exterior of the said ignition starter switch assembly;

B. a motion transmitting cylinder positioned within the main housing andbeing rotatable therewithin in response to key lock operation,

1. said cylinder being provided with an eccentric longitudinal bore,

2. said cylinder having a forward end and a rearward end,

3. said rearward end terminating rearwardly in an eccentric drive lug.I,

a. the said longitudinal bore and thedrive lug being positioned inlongitudinal alignment,

4. said forward end being provided with an eccentric opening;

C. a switch unit rearwardly connecting to the cylinder,

1. said switch unit being provided with a forwardly facing eccentricsocket,

a. said eccentric drive lug of the cylinder positioning within theeccentric socket to transmit rotary motion to the switch unit when thecylinder is rotated,

2. a forwardly facing spring contact carried by the switch unit,

a. said spring contact being rotated into electrically conductiveengagement with the fixed contact when the cylinder is rotated;

D. a tumbler lock forwardly connected to the cylinder,

I. said tumbler lock carrying a rearwardly projecting, eccentric drivepin,

2. said drive pin being inserted into the eccentric opening of thecylinder to turn the cylinder when the tumbler lock is key operated,

3. said tumbler lock being provided with a key receiving slot to receivea key therein,

a. said tumbler look further being provided with an eccentric openingcommunicating between .the key slot and the said longitudinal bore ofcentric bore of the cylinder.

1. In an ignition starter switch assembly, for use in an automotiveignition system of the type employing an electrical energy source, thecombination of A. a main housing having a forward end and a rearwardend,
 1. said main housing being provided with a longitudinal bore,
 2. afixed electrical contact carried in the said rearward end, said fixedelectrical contact connecting to the electrical energy source which isexterior of the said ignition starter switch assembly; B. a motiontransmitting cylinder positioned within the main housing and beingrotatable therewithin in response to key lock operation,
 1. saidcylinder being provided with an eccentric longitudinal bore,
 2. saidcylinder having a forward end And a rearward end,
 3. said rearward endterminating rearwardly in an eccentric drive lug. a. the saidlongitudinal bore and the drive lug being positioned in longitudinalalignment,
 4. said forward end being provided with an eccentric opening;C. a switch unit rearwardly connecting to the cylinder,
 1. said switchunit being provided with a forwardly facing eccentric socket, a. saideccentric drive lug of the cylinder positioning within the eccentricsocket to transmit rotary motion to the switch unit when the cylinder isrotated,
 2. a forwardly facing spring contact carried by the switchunit, a. said spring contact being rotated into electrically conductiveengagement with the fixed contact when the cylinder is rotated; D. atumbler lock forwardly connected to the cylinder,
 1. said tumbler lockcarrying a rearwardly projecting, eccentric drive pin,
 2. said drive pinbeing inserted into the eccentric opening of the cylinder to turn thecylinder when the tumbler lock is key operated,
 3. said tumbler lockbeing provided with a key receiving slot to receive a key therein, a.said tumbler lock further being provided with an eccentric openingcommunicating between the key slot and the said longitudinal bore of thecylinder; E. a spring biased push bar positioned within the eccentricbore of the cylinder and having longitudinal movement into the keyslot,
 1. said push bar being continuously biased forwardly into the keyslot by a compression spring, a. said compression spring acting withinthe eccentric bore of the cylinder.
 2. a fixed electrical contactcarried in the said rearward end, said fixed electrical contactconnecting to the electrical energy source which is exterior of the saidignition starter switch assembly; B. a motion transmitting cylinderpositioned within the main housing and being rotatable therewithin inresponse to key lock operation,
 2. said cylinder having a forward endAnd a rearward end,
 2. a forwardly facing spring contact carried by theswitch unit, a. said spring contact being rotated into electricallyconductive engagement with the fixed contact when the cylinder isrotated; D. a tumbler lock forwardly connected to the cylinder,
 2. saiddrive pin being inserted into the eccentric opening of the cylinder toturn the cylinder when the tumbler lock is key operated,
 3. said tumblerlock being provided with a key receiving slot to receive a key therein,a. said tumbler lock further being provided with an eccentric openingcommunicating between the key slot and the said longitudinal bore of thecylinder; E. a spring biased push bar positioned within the eccentricbore of the cylinder and having longitudinal movement into the key slot,3. said rearward end terminating rearwardly in an eccentric drive lug.a. the said longitudinal bore and the drive lug being positioned inlongitudinal alignment,
 4. said forward end being provided with aneccentric opening; C. a switch unit rearwardly connecting to thecylinder,